Hello everyone, just joined. Last week my wife and I bought a 2004 Flagstaff 176 LTD. I've been looking over the FAQ section but I have a few specific questions. We plan on taking some road trips with the camper, where can I find lists of campsites that are available to pull off the road and camp for the night? Obviously it will take a bit more planning for our trips as we were used to just driving until we were tired and looked for a hotel. We plan on cooking as much as possible in our camper, my wife has a gluten allergy so it makes eating out a challenge (one of the reasons we got the camper so we can cook our own food on trips). It came with a 2 burner cook stove, but I've been looking at some of the small portable stoves with ovens. It would have to be a small one as this is a very small camper. Has anyone tried one of these? How well do they work? Any recommendations on a particular brand/model? Seems like having an oven as well as 2 burners would really expand what could be cooked in the camper.The camper came with a 20lb. propane tank. I know it is impossible to give an exact answer to a question like this but about how much run time can I expect to get when running the refrigerator and cooking a few meals a day from the tank? And what about in winter, when using the furnace as well. I want to do some camping in more remote locations without hookups in the winter. Will one tank last a long weekend using propane for the furnace, refrigerator, and cooking? Any other tips or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Hi - I can help with only a couple of your questions.To find campsites I use many different sources - I have the Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory. It's about 3 inches thick. I also carry a KOA Directory with me. On my phone I have the following apps - The Woodalls CG app, Allstays Camp and RV, RV Parky, KOA, Recreation.gov app. I also have a couple other hard cover guides for COE campgrounds and National Forests. Check the states you will be going to for state park campgrounds. And some of the best CGs I have found lately are the county parks campgrounds - do not know an easy source for them. I use RVparkreviews.com to read the reviews of the campgrounds I am considering staying at.I cannot give you specifics about how long a bottle of gas will last but - The fridge does not use much at all and cooking is only short term. The furnace will suck gas big time. As long as you don't use the furnace, I'm sure you can go many weekends on one tank. I would advise getting a spare tank if it will fit on the trailer. Or, if towing with a pickup, just strap it down securely in the bed.

Here are SOME of the apps on my smartphone We have good luck using an electric toaster oven in our popupThey are cheap,light,and work great if you have power-we put a Champion Genny in the truck bed so we could stop for lunch at rest stops and run the AC and microwave so we could have a heart healthy diet (and a little nap after :) )Good Luck, Mike

With the mention of the toaster oven. I use mine in the house not my camper. But my toaster oven has a broil,bake, toast, warm and grill setting on it. It is a Euro-PRO. Something like this might even work better for you. I bought it a couple of years ago but I'm sure you can still find them on ebay or something.

I would get a second propane tank and rack for carrying two tanks if you plan on using the furnace in colder weather. And, it's nice to be able to avoid running out of propane anytime you are camping. You may want to consider getting an automatic regulator that will switch tanks when one runs out......'cause it always happens during the middle of a cold night when using the furnace!When camping with electric hookup, a small electric heater can work rather than using the furnace.

scbwr wrote:I would get a second propane tank and rack for carrying two tanks if you plan on using the furnace in colder weather. And, it's nice to be able to avoid running out of propane anytime you are camping. You may want to consider getting an automatic regulator that will switch tanks when one runs out......'cause it always happens during the middle of a cold night when using the furnace!When camping with electric hookup, a small electric heater can work rather than using the furnace.Agree 100%

Hello, new here. Just bought a Pop-Up have a few questions.

35 Replies

bikendan
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
JoshuaH wrote:
bikendan wrote:

by using Popup Gizmos and Reflectix or PUG's Solar Liners, you can make the tent ends much warmer in colder weather or cooler in hot weather.

OK Those sound interesting, what exactly are those?

Google is your best friend:

https://www.google.com/search?q=popup+gizmos&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl
JoshuaH
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
bikendan wrote:

by using Popup Gizmos and Reflectix or PUG's Solar Liners, you can make the tent ends much warmer in colder weather or cooler in hot weather.

OK Those sound interesting, what exactly are those?
bikendan
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
JoshuaH wrote:
DarthMuffin wrote:

Although from experience a heater in a popup is almost futile. Makes a great hand and foot warmer and might warm it up a couple of degrees to take the edge off, but it'll never be shirtsleeves in freezing weather.

That was something I was wondering about. Figure the tent walls can't be too much for insulation.

by using Popup Gizmos and Reflectix or PUG's Solar Liners, you can make the tent ends much warmer in colder weather or cooler in hot weather.
rfryer
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
JoshuaH wrote:
DarthMuffin wrote:

Although from experience a heater in a popup is almost futile. Makes a great hand and foot warmer and might warm it up a couple of degrees to take the edge off, but it'll never be shirtsleeves in freezing weather.

That was something I was wondering about. Figure the tent walls can't be too much for insulation.

You'd be surprised, it can stay warm as long as the heats running. I slept in a down bag and wore wool and down clothes. While I didn't use the furnace, my heat was the Coleman stove when I cooked breakfast and dinner. I'd get up in the morning and light the stove. In a few minutes it got pretty warm in there, almost too warm. But of course when I shut the stove off it didn't hold the heat very long. But then I was leaving and it didn't matter. If I'd stayed in the PU it would have gotten cold pretty quickly.

I once ran into a retired Marine hunting and he invited me to his tent for some coffee. He had put down a pad, then the wall tent on top, then a pad on the inside. And he had a catalytic heater. It was so hot in the tent I had to go outside to drink my coffee. The point being, canvas can be as warm as any RV with insulation.But it can't hold the heat and takes a relatively constant supply to do that.
JoshuaH
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
DarthMuffin wrote:

Although from experience a heater in a popup is almost futile. Makes a great hand and foot warmer and might warm it up a couple of degrees to take the edge off, but it'll never be shirtsleeves in freezing weather.

That was something I was wondering about. Figure the tent walls can't be too much for insulation.
Harvey51
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
We used a popup for about 20 years. We loved the night sounds of wildlife. I remember hearing a family of raccoons rattling the stuff on our picnic table early in the morning and all of us watching them through the window screen. The downside was hearing parties, generators and vehicles.

One propane bottle a season - and we camped for weeks. Only ran out when I was too cheap to refill in the spring. No fridge. DW baked stuff in an improvised Dutch oven over the campfire.

No battery in the trailer most of those years - just a cord to the engine battery. We could have lights or heater. Only killed the battery a couple of times.
DarthMuffin
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
A couple of my favorite campground locators:
http://www.epgsoft.com/CampgroundMap/
http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/uc/index.php

No experience with the ovens, but make sure you use them outside due to both carbon monoxide and fire danger.

Regarding propane, you should get at least 2 weeks, maybe a month on just cooking and the fridge. Using the furnace would cut that down to just a few days, a week on the outside, depending on how much you use it. The furnace fan will also be your #1 electricity draw if you're on battery, so watch that. If you can find a campground with electrical service, get a small electric box heater and use it.

Although from experience a heater in a popup is almost futile. Makes a great hand and foot warmer and might warm it up a couple of degrees to take the edge off, but it'll never be shirtsleeves in freezing weather.
Kit_Carson
Explorer
Jun 12, 2014
I highly recommend a roaster oven. We have 2 that we use...one large one and one small one. You can cook anything in them you can in the oven in the trailer. We use ours outside so as not to heat up the motorhome and it is electric so we are using the campground electricity instead of our propane. Think about it....happy travels and enjoy the PUP
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jun 11, 2014
By the way when I had a PUP, I do not think I ever re-filled a propane bottle (Several years) and then I upgraded to a small trailer.. I think I refilled a bottle one time (More years) I fill the motor home (100 pounder) about 3 times a year. Normally, may cut that down to 2 since wife died. She wasted propane.

Last fill was thanksgiving.

Batteries.. Many Pups come with a single 24 Marine/Deep cycle. if you can find a true Deep Cycle thats better. or if you wish you can upgrade to a pair of golf car six volt in series,, These (when installed) become one BIG 12 volt deep cycle battery, they should fit in the same "Space" as the 24 (Well two batteies so twice teh space) but they are a bit taller..

Group 24 is about 72 amp hours You can safely use 1/4 to 1/3
GC-2 pair, 215 to 230 amp hours and you can safely use half

Discharge more than that and the battery ages real real fast.

Doing this WILL, however, add to your tong (hitch) weight.
ryanw821
Explorer
Jun 11, 2014
JoshuaH wrote:
ryanw821 wrote:

Our Libby has a different trans than the gas ones since its a diesel, but either one will benefit from a transmission cooler if you are towing (if you have FACTORY towing package you should have one). It shouldn't cost much to have one added if you don't, If you are handy you can get a kit and DIY it for under $50.

Yea ours is the 3.7 gas with the auto trans. Is yours the diesel with the manual? I much prefer a manual transmission in any vehicle, but my wife certainly does NOT. Ours has the factory transmission cooler, with this option it is rated to tow 5000lbs, but I probably wouldn't want to do that over a long distance.

The diesel (in the US anyways) was only offered with an automatic, I have heard rumors its the same one they put behind the hemi V8's, but honestly haven't checked into it much to see if that's right.
No way the wife would have it as her daily driver if it was a stick ;)

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Hello, new here. Just bought a Pop-Up have a few questions.

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